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<title>Advanced Swimming for Beginners by annieedisongf</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27012556">Advanced Swimming for Beginners</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/annieedisongf/pseuds/annieedisongf'>annieedisongf</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Community (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>First Kiss, Getting Together, M/M, One Shot, Post-Canon, sand is the villain here we do not stan, these two love each other so much it's unreal</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 02:08:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,005</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27012556</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/annieedisongf/pseuds/annieedisongf</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Troy and Abed pick swimming as one of their reunion activities. It turns out better than either of them expected.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Troy Barnes/Abed Nadir</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>124</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Advanced Swimming for Beginners</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this is just a small thing i wrote for a tumblr prompt "confessing feelings in the water"! thank you for the ask &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You really can swim now.”</p><p> </p><p>A wave bounces minutely off Troy’s outstretched back. Abed likes the non-threatening feel to it; the sight of Troy being back on the sea is distressing enough without the added bonus of a killer current. It’s a nice day; there’s no storm on the horizon and the L.A. sun makes their skin glisten but not prickle. Even the once-nefarious sand texture doesn’t seem to bother Abed as much as it usually does. Troy’s here. Troy’s here, and they’ve gone out for a swim to reenact some scenes from <em>Jaws</em>, and then they’re going to have a picnic somewhere picturesque, and then they’ll go back to Abed’s apartment to watch <em>Jaws</em>, Troy’s head most likely pillowed on Abed’s shoulder. And then, probably a few days later, Troy will leave again, who knows where to, and Abed will be alone, with grains of sand finding their way into his sneakers, leaving his toes chafed and unmoving.</p><p> </p><p>But it’s a nice day. And they’ve gone out for a swim.</p><p> </p><p>“Nah.” Troy answers. “I can only do the butterfly, and I think my legs got it all wrong anyway... LeVar tried to teach me the front crawl, but water kept getting into my ears and I always ended up crying. It hurts, you know! I don’t know how people do that!”</p><p> </p><p>On his face, there’s that familiar expression of complete and utter vulnerability, the one Abed most prides himself on being privy to. In the weeks leading up to Troy’s return, Abed worried if he’d ever have the privilege of seeing it again or if their mutual understanding, the unspoken “lay yourself bare before me” had been washed away. When they spotted each other at L.A.’s point of entry, Troy wore the expression immediately.</p><p> </p><p>“I get it.” Abed says, taking care not to appear patronizing. “I hated it as a kid. I only forced myself to get used to it in case I had to fight some pool skeletons like in Poltergeist. By the time I realized the scenario was unlikely, as I was not an upper-middle class mother of three moving into a newly-gentrified neighbourhood, I’d already learned the front crawl.”</p><p> </p><p>Troy smiles at the words, and it’s yet another familiar expression that brings Abed comfort. Troy’s smiles are always what they seem and they always carry this impossible brightness with them. It’s easy to love the clarity. It’s easy to love Troy.</p><p> </p><p>“I bet I wouldn’t cry if <em>you</em> were teaching me.” Troy says weakly in a tone Abed recognizes, but can’t interpret. “Then we could fight the skeletons together. Or sharks. Or anything!”</p><p> </p><p>“Good thinking.” Abed answers, hoping it sounds matter-of-factly. “You are going to need it when we irrevocably part ways in a few days.”</p><p>For the first time in a while, Troy offers an expression that Abed registers as inscrutable. His brows are furrowed, his lips clasp momentarily, and his chin starts to twitch.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, about that…” Troy starts abashedly. “Look, I’m going to say something, because I’m an adult now and I need to say what I mean and not bottle things up inside and get sad and angry later, but I’m really nervous and if you don’t want the same thing as me, that’s perfectly fine, but I really need to say it, and I wanted to do it later, but I have to do it now, or I’ll explode and–”</p><p> </p><p>“Troy.” Abed interrupts him. “Do you want me to pretend I’m you?”</p><p> </p><p>“No.” Troy answers with immediate certainty. Abed hears his breathing getting steadier and notices a small smile forming on his face. “I need to say it to you, when you’re being you, or it wouldn’t make sense.” He takes a deep breath, shuts his eyes briefly, then lets them flutter open. “Do you think we could… not part ways? Like, ever? Do you think we could live here, together, and never leave each others’ side, and be best friends, and do awesome stuff, and I’m in love you and I want to be with you always, and we’ve never reenacted <em>Gravity</em> and I think we should, cause your apartment sort of looks like a spaceship, and I have a lot of money now so we could buy astronaut suits?”</p><p> </p><p>Abed thinks they should definitely reenact <em>Gravity</em>. He also thinks he needs to stop talking about movies (!) for a short while and react to the other thing.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes.” He says in a surprisingly steady tone, thanking his mouth profusely for working. “I think we should live here together. I think we should never leave each others’ side. And I’m in love with you and I want to be with you always.”</p><p> </p><p>Troy stands before him completely frozen, except for the eyes that widen impossibly.</p><p> </p><p>“I also really want to kiss you right now.” Abed adds, which seems to turn Troy’s eyes into something much wider than your average saucers. “If that’s what you want, too.”</p><p> </p><p>And suddenly, Abed is being tackled onto the ground and the sea water splashes violently around him. Troy’s palms land on Abed’s cheeks, Troy’s nose clashes with Abed’s chin, and Troy’s mouth… oh, Troy’s mouth is on Abed’s own, and it’s soft, and wet, and salty, and a little awkward, but it still makes everything right in the world. Abed props himself up on the boggy sand with his right hand and claims Troy’s waist with his left one, getting rewarded with a shallow gasp. Troy’s fingers find their way into Abed’s hair, and in this touch, gentleness and fervency align. Abed’s never experienced anything like this and he’s fairly certain nobody ever has. He never wants it to stop.</p><p> </p><p>But it does, as the sand shifts under his palm and causes them both to collapse.</p><p> </p><p>“Ugh, it’s in my ear again!” Troy whines, having gotten up with urgency. “I changed my mind, I’m never learning the front crawl.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s okay.” Abed says, smiling at him ever so slightly. “I don’t mind fighting the skeletons for you.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thanks for reading! leave comments and kudos if you feel like it &lt;3</p><p>you can find me on tumblr @annieedisongf. my inbox is always open for screaming about trobed!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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